About American Family Care

About American Family Care

Live Life, Uninterrupted

Dr. Bruce Irwin opened the first American Family Care® in 1982 in Birmingham, Alabama. As a child, Dr. Irwin frequently watched doctors attend to his father’s medical needs. During frequent trips to the emergency room, Dr. Irwin noticed that many non-emergency patients were taking up time and resources from the ER, making the experience more difficult for themselves and those in need of true life-saving care. It was during this time he came up with his idea for an urgent care network that could attend to the needs of non-emergency patients who were in need of immediate attention.

From the outset, Dr. Irwin held to the philosophy of “putting the patient first,” an attitude which quickly made AFC one of the most successful clinics in the area. More than 35 years later, the AFC brand and philosophy has spread to more than 200 facilities across 26 states, treating nearly three million patients a year. We are proud to stand as one of the most widely known and admired brands in healthcare and anticipate having more than 500 clinics nationwide in the next five years.

Our Mission

It is our mission to provide the best healthcare possible, in a kind and caring environment, while respecting the rights of all patients, in an economical manner, at times and locations convenient to the patient.

What sets us apart from other urgent care clinics are our on-site technology and services, which include:

Pioneers in the Urgent Care Practice

All AFC clinics are designed, equipped, and staffed to provide accessible primary care, urgent care, minor emergency treatment, and occupational medicine. We are considered pioneers in non-emergency room urgent care, with a majority of our patients coming in, receiving care, and returning home in one hour’s time on average